Monthly Archives: January 2013

It’s a cold January day, and right now, you may be miles and miles and months and months away from your next trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. But you can do a little early looking and daydreaming if you get a look at what’s going on here courtesy of our Smoky Mountain web cam.

The view comes from our 1 In A Million rental cabin, which offers high-up views that stretch out across nearby ridges and valleys and distant mountains. In winter, the stark beauty of the landscape contrasts greatly with the abundant greenery of spring and summer, but it’s an awesome view any time of year. And if you can catch this view on a clear, sunny day (like the one we’re having on the day this blog post was written), you’re in for a real treat.

Speaking of 1 In A Million, it’s just one of the dozens of overnight cabins we have at Volunteer Cabin Rentals. We have everything from one- to 12-bedroom cabins located throughout the Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge area. The amenities are plentiful, the views are fantastic, and our properties are just minutes form Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Give us a call today and we’ll help you turn those web cam views into real-life views from the deck of one our luxury cabins.

This three-bedroom, four-bath rental cabin is the kind of place that will tempt you to move in permanently. From this ridge-top perch, you’ll marvel endlessly at expansive valley and mountain views that stretch to the horizon. And you can view it all from any of three different decks, including a main wraparound porch with plenty of rocking chairs. You can even look out on the scenery from the outdoor hot tub on the lowest level.

Inside, tastefully elegant furnishings and décor join forces with all the lodging bells and whistles to make the cabin truly a paradise found. Sink back into the oversized seating group as you huddle together around the fire or gather to watch a movie on the flat-screen TV above the fireplace. The open floor-plan living area also includes a large elegant dining table with chairs.

Full meals and snackage are readily available thanks to the full kitchen on the main level, or the party animals in the group can take advantage of the kitchenette on the lower level, where you’ll also find a pool table, flat-screen TV and seating group.

One of the neatest features of this property is the outdoor fire pit area, where your group can sit on logs around a roaring fire, roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories or just basking in the serenity of a Smoky Mountain evening.

There’s only one problem with taking a vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee—there’s so much to do and so little time. In fact, if you visited every attraction in the Smokies, it could conceivably take you a lifetime full of vacations. So how can you go about narrowing down your choices for your next trip to the mountains?

• Consider eliminating things you’ve done before. So you’ve been to Dollywood, Ripley’s Aquarium and Titanic. This time, try some of the other dozens of attractions like Star Cars, the Elvis Museum or Rainforest Adventures.

• Shoot for a balance of indoor and outdoor fun. You might try to work in a music theater show one day and then balance that out with a hike in the national park. And there are activities like horseback riding, ziplining and Zorb that also get you into the great outdoors.

• Consider the age range of your group. If you’ve got young children with you, you may still want to consider a large attraction like Dollywood, which offers something for all ages. If it’s just adults, you can easily open up a wide range of options that may not appeal to the younger set.

• Consider your budget. It’s always helpful to set a price limit on your trip and then stay within it. That price cap may help you make some decisions when it comes to certain attractions. But the good news is that fun comes in all price ranges in the Smokies, so there’s no excuse for ending your visit unhappy.

So here’s the scenario: You’re spending a few days or a week this winter with Volunteer Cabin Rentals, and it’s gotten awfully darned cold outside. The thought of getting out of the cabin isn’t very appealing, but at the same time, you don’t want to run the risk of being stuck inside together for so long that everyone’s starting to go a little stir crazy. What to do?

No worries. Our Smoky Mountain cabin rentals are designed to make sure that even the most quiet and lazy of days doesn’t necessarily translate into boredom. For example, consider marveling at the spectacle of snow-covered mountains from the warm comfort of your cabin’s main living room. Having a crackling fire going in the fireplace nearby will also help to cozy things up quickly. This would also be a great setting to curl up on the sofa with a good book and let your imagination run wild.

And even though it may be chilly outside, you’ll stay warm and relaxed while soaking in the hot tub. Day or night, this is a fun way to stay loose as a goose. There are also plenty of entertainment options in most of our cabins. Shoot a game of pool or start a foosball match in your cabin’s game room, or pop in a DVD (or three) and have a family movie marathon one night. Many cabins also come equipped with gaming systems that will keep fingers and thumbs clicking into the wee hours.